The Role

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

The structure is really clear and it will help you to develop your skills and get a real exposure to the industry. There are also a lot of events from the early careers team where you will get the chance to learn more about other departments and network with different people across divisions at the bank. There are also a lot of trainings that can help you to develop your skills.

9/10

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

They give you real responsibilities even to represent the team to give presentation to other departments. They will ask your perspectives and views and respect your opinion. They also trust your conclusion and analysis as long as you provided enough justification on your analysis. You are given the opportunity to give opinion that can influence the decision making process.

10/10

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

Your manager will give you clear objective from the start. They are really helpful and willing to spend their time to talk to you and help you, even when it is not working hours anymore. Everyone is really approachable, you can ask for help from anyone or network with anyone even across departments.

9/10

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

It really depends on what are the objectives that are given to you. I was given a project and a typical day could be busy when there are a lot of requests from different departments in doing more analysis. However, it really depends on how you manage your time and how efficient you are in doing your job.

8/10

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

I was given a real responsibility in dealing with a project. This is a project that will influence in a decision making process. The bank also published and circulated the result of the analysis of the project. So, it was a real responsibility and valuable to the Bank. They also given me the opportunity to discuss with people in senior position from other departments.

10/10

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

I learn a programming skill that will be used in my degree. It really help me to be more efficient in coding. It really improve my problem solving skills on how to tackle challenges and how to handle unexpected situations. It also improve my analytical skills which really useful for my Statistical degree.

10/10

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

Everyone is really friendly, approachable and helpful. It is like a family community. There are a lot of things happening within the Bank itself. For instance, someone can bring cakes to celebrate their son birthday or simply because he/she wants to share some cakes/doughnuts for everyone. There are also events like game night.

8/10

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

The early careers team really do a great job in making a really good structure for the program. There are a lot of support before the summer internship start from the HR team as well as during the program and after we finish the program. There are clear objectives and clear feedback session.

10/10

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

There are online training platform with a lot of materials that we can choose from where it can really help you in honing any skills you want during your spare time. Moreover, there are also a lot of training at the Bank, you can also request to join training from other departments if you are interested.

10/10

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

Flexi Time

Subsidised Canteen

Sports and Social Club

Subsidised/Company Gym

Company Parties/Events

Working from home

9/10

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

They have a clear structure of the program, if you achieve certain benchmark during the program then you will get another opportunity to get a full time offer. There are also flexibility if you want to move to a different division. This is a really good organisation with a good work life balanced and collaborative culture.

9/10

Social

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

Yes, my division went out for lunch together and we talk about our own interests and share our experiences. We also go out for drinks and went to a haunted house together. Everyone is really friendly and even though I am just an intern, but everyone is really keen to talk to me.

10/10

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

The bank provided a subsidise canteen which is very cheap. However, around the area there are some good and affordable food as well as fast food restaurants, but there are also expensive restaurants. So, it really depends on what is your lifestyle and your choices of food when you eat out.

8/10

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

There are a lot of pub and bars around the area. The early careers team organise an event in a near pub where all the interns can socialise and share their experience to each other. It is also in central London, Bank station, so it is really near to go everywhere else.

8/10

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

Yes, there are a lot of initiatives the Bank do. They also have some volunteering program. The Bank really encourage everyone to get involved in activities outside of work. If you want to start a new activity it is totally possible, you can start a new initiative at the bank.